Finishing Touches for Major Spital Hill Revamp

Friday 11 April 2014

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The finishing touches are being made to the refurbishment of an important gateway into Sheffield city centre.

Major works are almost complete on the busy Spital Hill shopping centre. New paving, lighting and street furniture will help to create a vibrant new feel to the district centre. The finished street will also have eye-catching artworks at Caborn’s Corner and outside Vestry Hall.

Ellesmere Green has seen an exciting remodelling to help make it the focal point of the area, with a new event space, seating walls and flower borders as well as improved paths and lighting.

Public art designed by children from Pye Bank Church of England Primary School, St. Catherine’s Catholic Primary School and Firs Hill Community Primary School has also been added to enhance the area.

A new ‘community hub’ will become the heart of the local community at Sorby House. This will bring together several Council, community and partner services for the people of Burngreave. Sorby House with the new FirstPoint@Burngreave will be open Mondays to Fridays and the re-located Burngreave Library will also open there on weekdays and Saturdays too.

Councillor Harry Harpham, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Homes and Neighbourhoods said:

“This work has given this important district shopping centre and gateway into the city a wonderful facelift and the new community hub will become a valuable point for local people to access many important services.

“There are still some improvements to add, but I believe this will make this area a much more welcoming place to visit and give a welcome boost to local businesses.”

The improvements will continue with a shop front improvement scheme that is currently being planned, with the hope of beginning work in autumn 2014. This scheme will offer cosmetic facelifts to the frontages of every independent business on Spital Hill district centre.

The street works started in October 2013, and have been funded through a planning agreement with Tesco following the development of their new store on Savile Street. The improvements to Ellesmere Green and shop front scheme have been funded by the Local Growth Fund.

Yvonne Hayes of the Rainbow’s End shop on Spital Hill added:

“This refurbishment will certainly make Spital Hill a much more pleasant place to work and visit, and we hope that this scheme and the new community facilities at Sorby House will bring added vitality to the area.”

To celebrate the refurbishment and help formally open the refurbished Ellesmere Green, the first International Spital Hill Street Market will be held on Sunday 22 June.

The local community are working with Sheffield City Council to help organise this event and anyone wishing to get involved in this event should contact Elaine Feeney on 0114 273 5531 or Elaine.feeney2@sheffield.gov.uk